Toxicology Research of Foodborne Contaminants

A special issue of Toxics (ISSN 2305-6304). This special issue belongs to the section "Agrochemicals and Food Toxicology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 March 2024) | Viewed by 4510

Special Issue Editors

College of Veterinary Medicine, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, China
Interests: animal toxicology and animal nutrition metabolic disease; toxicology of heavy metal; toxicology of mycotoxin
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Guest Editor
College of Veterinary Medicine, Sichuan Agricultural University, Ya'an 611130, China
Interests: animal disease; animal physiology; animal nutrition

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Guest Editor
College of Veterinary Medicine, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
Interests: animal internal medicine and toxic diseases; animal nutritional metabolic diseases and immunity; intestinal microbes; probiotic fermentation; obesity; liver fibrosis; cholestatic liver injury
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

With the vast development of the economy and technology, our lifestyles have changed significantly. However, while these changes provide us with convenience, they also convey El Nino, environmental pollution, food safety issues and other ecological concerns to us, among which food safety is attracting heightened attention; this is owing to  increases in people’s awareness of safety and the development of mass spectrometry.

Due to the effects of human activities, agricultural production, industrialization, mineral extraction and the abuse of food additives, foodborne contaminants, such as pesticide residues, mycotoxins, heavy metals, plasticizers, microplastic particles and food additives, threaten human and animal health through the food chain. The contamination of food production and storage is inevitable, but it causes significant losses. In order to eliminate foodborne contaminants, an elucidation of the underlying mechanism of their toxic effects on human and animals is urgently needed.

To address the increasing risk of pollution and contamination in the food industry, detoxification measures, anti-toxic supplements and other precautions and therapeutic measures are demanded.

Dr. Xu Yang
Prof. Dr. Zhihua Ren
Dr. Yunhuan Liu
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • pesticide residues
  • mycotoxins
  • heavy metal
  • plasticizer
  • microplastic particles
  • food additives
  • toxicant metabolism
  • alleviation and treatment

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

14 pages, 3935 KiB  
Article
Association of Prenatal Dietary Toxicants and Inorganic Arsenic Exposure with Children’s Emotional and Behavioral Problems: ECLIPSES Study
by Xiruo Kou, Josefa Canals, Monica Bulló, Nerea Becerra-Tomás, Cristina Jardí and Victoria Arija
Toxics 2024, 12(6), 398; https://doi.org/10.3390/toxics12060398 - 29 May 2024
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Abstract
Prenatal exposure to dietary toxicants is linked to neurocognitive issues, but its effect on early emotional and behavioral development in children is less clear. To explore the relationship between prenatal intake of As, iAs, Cd, MeHg, Pb, PCDD/Fs, DL-PCBs, and NDL-PCBs and emotional [...] Read more.
Prenatal exposure to dietary toxicants is linked to neurocognitive issues, but its effect on early emotional and behavioral development in children is less clear. To explore the relationship between prenatal intake of As, iAs, Cd, MeHg, Pb, PCDD/Fs, DL-PCBs, and NDL-PCBs and emotional and behavioral issues in four-year-old children. This study included 192 mother–child pairs from the ECLIPSES study, assessing prenatal dietary toxicant exposure through a food-frequency questionnaire and Catalan Food Safety Agency data. Children’s emotional and behavioral scores were evaluated using the Child Behavior Checklist for ages 1.5–5 years. Multivariable regression and logistic models were used, focusing on iAs after finding significant preliminary associations. Increased prenatal dietary intake of iAs was associated with internalizing, externalizing, and attention-deficit/hyperactivity problems. Higher iAs levels (>4.16 μg/day) significantly increased the risk of total problems (OR = 2.94) and specific issues like anxious/depressed (OR = 4.88), anxiety (OR = 3.27), and oppositional defiant problems (OR = 4.30). High iAs consumption correlated with the intake of meat, eggs, cereals, tubers, fruits, and pulses Prenatal dietary iAs exposure is associated with various emotional and behavioral problems in children. Monitoring and reducing iAs levels in food are crucial for public health. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Toxicology Research of Foodborne Contaminants)
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13 pages, 578 KiB  
Article
Association between Prenatal Dietary Toxicants and Infant Neurodevelopment: The Role of Fish
by Xiruo Kou, Nerea Becerra-Tomás, Josefa Canals, Monica Bulló and Victoria Arija
Toxics 2024, 12(5), 338; https://doi.org/10.3390/toxics12050338 - 6 May 2024
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Abstract
More research is needed to understand how the maternal consumption of fish and fish-borne toxicants impacts infant neurodevelopment. The present analysis was conducted over 460 mother–infant pairs within the ECLIPSES study. Dietary intake of metals and persistent organic pollutants from fish (including white [...] Read more.
More research is needed to understand how the maternal consumption of fish and fish-borne toxicants impacts infant neurodevelopment. The present analysis was conducted over 460 mother–infant pairs within the ECLIPSES study. Dietary intake of metals and persistent organic pollutants from fish (including white fish, blue fish, and seafood) was estimated in pregnant women. The infants underwent cognitive, language, and motor function assessments using the Bayley Scales of Infant Development-III at the 40-day postpartum. Associations between dietary toxicants and outcomes were assessed using multivariable linear regression models. Estimated prenatal exposure to fish-borne toxicants, such as arsenic, inorganic arsenic, methylmercury, dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls (DL-PCBs), and non-DL-PCBs, was associated with poorer language functions in infants, whereas no significant associations were found with motor or cognitive functions. Maternal fish consumption exceeding the Spanish recommendation of no more than 71 g per day was linked to these adverse effects on language abilities without affecting motor or cognitive development. This highlights the importance of vigilant monitoring of environmental toxicants and the provision of dietary guidance for pregnant women, with potential implications for public health and child development. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Toxicology Research of Foodborne Contaminants)
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17 pages, 12659 KiB  
Article
Rat Hepatocytes Protect against Lead–Cadmium-Triggered Apoptosis Based on Autophagy Activation
by Junshu Xue, Huimao Liu, Tianyi Yin, Xun Zhou, Xu Song, Yuanfeng Zou, Lixia Li, Renyong Jia, Yuping Fu, Xinghong Zhao and Zhongqiong Yin
Toxics 2024, 12(4), 285; https://doi.org/10.3390/toxics12040285 - 12 Apr 2024
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Abstract
Lead and cadmium are foodborne contaminants that threaten human and animal health. It is well known that lead and cadmium produce hepatotoxicity; however, defense mechanisms against the co-toxic effects of lead and cadmium remain unknown. We investigated the mechanism of autophagy (defense mechanism) [...] Read more.
Lead and cadmium are foodborne contaminants that threaten human and animal health. It is well known that lead and cadmium produce hepatotoxicity; however, defense mechanisms against the co-toxic effects of lead and cadmium remain unknown. We investigated the mechanism of autophagy (defense mechanism) against the co-induced toxicity of lead and cadmium in rat hepatocytes (BRL-3A cells). Cultured rat liver BRL-3A cell lines were co-cultured with 10, 20, 40 μM lead and 2.5, 5, 10 μM cadmium alone and in co-culture for 12 h and exposed to 5 mM 3-Methyladenine (3-MA), 10 μM rapamycin (Rapa), and 50 nM Beclin1 siRNA to induce cellular autophagy. Our results show that treatment of BRL-3A cells with lead and cadmium significantly decreased the cell viability, increased intracellular reactive oxygen species levels, decreased mitochondrial membrane potential levels, and induced apoptosis, which are factors leading to liver injury, and cell damage was exacerbated by co-exposure to lead–cadmium. In addition, the results showed that lead and cadmium co-treatment induced autophagy. We further observed that the suppression of autophagy with 3-MA or Beclin1 siRNA promoted lead–cadmium-induced apoptosis, whereas enhancement of autophagy with Rapa suppressed lead–cadmium-induced apoptosis. These results demonstrated that co-treatment with lead and cadmium induces apoptosis in BRL-3A cells. Interestingly, the activation of autophagy provides cells with a self-protective mechanism against induced apoptosis. This study provides insights into the role of autophagy in lead–cadmium-induced apoptosis, which may be beneficial for the treatment of lead–cadmium-induced liver injury. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Toxicology Research of Foodborne Contaminants)
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